The capital city is preparing for thousands of cyclists who will roll through town next week.It’s been 16 years since the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa came through Des Moines, and officials said the riders will be welcomed with open arms, especially by businesses near Water Works Park.“Set up has already, to some degree, started,” said Bill Stowe, of Des Moines Water Works.The plans are in place to turn the park into a one-night-only home for RAGBRAI riders.“We’re a large park. We have 1,600 acres here. We’re accustomed to hosting events, so we really see no downside in this at all,” said Stowe.Organizers said the calm and quiet park will be swarmed with almost 10,000 cyclists from all over the world.“We’re very confident the Des Moines Police Department and its traffic control can handle all this, so (there’s) maybe a small inconvenience for those of us that live in this area, but (it’s) a great thing for the greater Des Moines area,” said Stowe.The event is also a great thing to the businesses that lie on the path of the hungry and thirsty cyclists.“It’s probably going to be the biggest ride we’ve ever had,” said Pat Renda, owner of Orlondo’s bike trail bar.For Renda, RAGBRAI is like the Super Bowl, and he is in full party-planning mode.“I wish we could have a RAGBRAI every weekend. But I’ll tell you what, it’s a lot of work getting ready for it,” said Renda.Down the street at Confluence Brewing Company, the work started months ago. The company is brewing extra beer to avoid any mishaps on the big day.“We are tremendously excited,” said John Martin, owner of Confluence Brewing. “Are we going to run out of beer? We've been brewing since April, so we want to try to keep up with demand for RAGBRAI. So, I think we're in a good position.”“It's a great thing for us. It's a great thing for the state and for the region. It's not very often that we get the pleasure of having 10,000 folks at our park at a single occasion,” said Stowe.

DES MOINES, Iowa —

The capital city is preparing for thousands of cyclists who will roll through town next week.

It’s been 16 years since the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa came through Des Moines, and officials said the riders will be welcomed with open arms, especially by businesses near Water Works Park.

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“Set up has already, to some degree, started,” said Bill Stowe, of Des Moines Water Works.

The plans are in place to turn the park into a one-night-only home for RAGBRAI riders.

“We’re a large park. We have 1,600 acres here. We’re accustomed to hosting events, so we really see no downside in this at all,” said Stowe.

Organizers said the calm and quiet park will be swarmed with almost 10,000 cyclists from all over the world.

“We’re very confident the Des Moines Police Department and its traffic control can handle all this, so (there’s) maybe a small inconvenience for those of us that live in this area, but (it’s) a great thing for the greater Des Moines area,” said Stowe.

The event is also a great thing to the businesses that lie on the path of the hungry and thirsty cyclists.

For Renda, RAGBRAI is like the Super Bowl, and he is in full party-planning mode.

“I wish we could have a RAGBRAI every weekend. But I’ll tell you what, it’s a lot of work getting ready for it,” said Renda.

Down the street at Confluence Brewing Company, the work started months ago. The company is brewing extra beer to avoid any mishaps on the big day.

“We are tremendously excited,” said John Martin, owner of Confluence Brewing. “Are we going to run out of beer? We've been brewing since April, so we want to try to keep up with demand for RAGBRAI. So, I think we're in a good position.”

“It's a great thing for us. It's a great thing for the state and for the region. It's not very often that we get the pleasure of having 10,000 folks at our park at a single occasion,” said Stowe.